Daily Dose of Hope

August 27, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 16

Prayer: Amazing Father and Lord, Thank you for who you are. Thank you for how you care for us. We get distracted. We veer away from you and your Word. For that, we are so very sorry. Forgive us, Lord. Help us to abide in you. Help us to remain close so that we can be fruitful and effective for your Kingdom. Help us get outside ourselves and see others as you see them. And help us trust. Lord, we belong to you. In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church. We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis and this will be followed by a deep dive into Exodus. Today's reading is Genesis 16.

Yesterday, God reinforces his covenant with Abram that he will be the father of many nations. God promises to give Abram and Sarai a son but when it doesn't happen in their timing, they decide to take matters in their own hands. Sarai devises a plan to have Abram sleep with her handmaid, Haggar, in order to bear him a son. When Haggar does get pregnant, Sarai isn't happy at all. Despite the fact that this was all her idea, Sarai becomes furious with Haggar and abuses her. Haggar leaves and heads into the desert, a dangerous scenario for a pregnant handmaid in those days. But God meets her there. He sends an angel who tells her to go back to Sarai and promises that her son, Ishmael, will be a strong and defiant man.

I used to read this Scripture and really burn with anger toward Sarai. Why was she so mean to Haggar and why didn't she just trust God to begin with? But over the years, I've realized how often I take matters into my own hands, I don't wait for God's timing, I jump the gun and say and do things without listening to God's clear instructions to wait on him. While I in no way condone her treatment of Haggar, it's easy to see how she burned with jealousy. She wanted to be the one who was pregnant with Abram's child! She wanted to see God's promise come true right now!!! Of course, we know the end of the story. God's mercies are so very good. He cared for Haggar in her hour of need, and he cared with Sarai, despite her disobedience. And God also cares for us, despite ours.

What's fascinating to me about this power couple, Abram and Sarai, is how very normal they are. They have times in which they make such crazy choices that leave us scratching our heads and then they have times in which their obedience toward God is incredible. Maybe we are kind of that way as well. Sometimes, I feel like I take two steps forward and one step back. Abram and Sarai were not that different.

More tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

August 26, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 15

Prayer: Today we pray an ancient prayer from St Ambrose of Milan, who lived from 337-397 AD...O Lord, who has mercy upon all, take away from me my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of Your Holy Spirit. Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore You, a heart to delight in You, to follow and to enjoy You, for Christ's sake.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church. We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis and this will be followed by a deep dive into Exodus. Today's reading is Genesis 15.

In today's reading, God reinforces his covenant with Abram. But I want to go to the very beginning of the chapter when God tells Abram, in a vision, to not be afraid. Let's not forget that Abram just finished a major battle and he had every reason to expect an attack from one of the enemy kings. But God tells him that He, the Lord, will be Abram's shield. God is going to protect him.

And then there is this interesting dialogue between God and Abram about Abram's heir. Abram tells God that while God has given him wealth and now protection, what good is any of it if he doesn't have an heir? He doesn't hold in his frustration. Abram is honest with God about his frustrations and fears. Just FYI, we can always be honest with God about our frustrations and fears. God knows anyway.

So, this is when God reinforces the covenant that he made with Abram. God promises that Abram's descendants will be as plentiful as stars in the sky. It is clear and Abram believes (he has faith in God), but he expects it to be soon. Yet in the chronology of Abram's life, the fulfillment of this promise was still 15 years away. God's timing is often very different from our own timing.

The chapter ends in an interesting way. God has Abram fall asleep. He then prophesies that Abraham's descendants will be in slavery for 400 years (we know this happens in Egypt) and that God will ensure that those descendants eventually gain wealth and be able to return to the land God promised them.

God's plan is in place.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

August 25, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 14

Prayer: Heavenly Father, We come before you today in awe of your Word. Thank you for speaking to us through Scripture. Help us commit to being grounded in your truth. Help us make learning more about you a priority. We get so distracted! The world comes at us from all sides. Lord, in these next few moments of silence, help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you...In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church. We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis and this will be followed by a deep dive into Exodus. Today's reading is Genesis 14.

In today's reading, we have the first recorded battle in Genesis. It's also the only time Abram is connected to warfare (who knew he had so many armed men at his disposal?) You might have noticed here that Abram is called a Hebrew as well.

But what is going on? Remember that Abram and Lot are now living in separate places. Lot actually lived in Sodom, which happened to be captured in the battle described in verses 1-11. Lot is taken captive.

Now, God has promised to protect and care for Abram and it seems he is finally trusting in that. Abram goes into battle to save his nephew and is very successful. He meets up with two kings, Melchizedek (Salem's priestly king) and the king of Sodom. Melchizedek comes with wine, food, and blessings. The king of Sodom comes with his hand out. These were obviously very different kings, which seem to further highlight the difference between Abram and Lot. Abram is upstanding and generous, not worried about wealth or property. Lot is living in what we will learn is a sinful place, possibly hanging out with the wrong people, and espousing values that are very different from Abram's.

I want to just briefly touch on King Melchizedek. If his name sounds familiar, it may because the author of Hebrews says that Jesus is a priest and king, in the order of Melchizedek. What does this mean? Well, Jesus was not in the family line of priests. His appointment as high priest and king came directly from God. This is similar to Melchizedek, who is kind of mysterious figure, a king-priest which would have been highly unusual. We have no evidence that Melchizedek's kingship or priestship were inherited. Yet, he is called a priest of the most high God. Did God directly appoint him too? We really don't know, but it is fascinating that the author of Hebrews makes this connection.

More tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

August 24, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 13

Prayer: Lord, How we need you. Thank you for your presence, thank you for the way you continue to pursue us. Lord, in these next few moments of silence, help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you...In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church. We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis and this will be followed by a deep dive into Exodus. So far, Genesis has been filled with lots of truth and lots of drama. Let's see what today holds.

The reading for today is Genesis 13. Abram, Sarai, Lot, and all their herdsmen and animals came back from Egypt. The two men are so wealthy now that the land where they previously lived just couldn't sustain both households. Plus, their herdsmen were bickering. So Abram comes up with a plan to separate the two households. He gives Lot the option which land to take, and he would go in the other direction. Lot goes to the plain of Jordan and Abram heads to Canaan.

Let's just say Abram handles this situation really well. He deals with conflict in a very selfless way. The crowded land and the arguing herdsmen could have ended up with a much different ending. But Abram doesn't hold on tight to anything; he lets Lot take the best land for himself. He is not greedy and he trusts God to make sure he and his own household are taken care of.

Possibly as a result of Abram's wisdom and selflessness, God reinforces the covenant he made with Abram. These are the words he uses, which are pretty powerful, Now, lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for I will give all the land which you see to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring may also be counted. Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its width; for I will give it to you."

God is a God who keeps his promises. He is going to build a people through Abram. Are we beginning to see a new and different Abram that has grown in maturity and trust? I hope so.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

August 21, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 12

Prayer: Almighty Father, You always know what is best for us. Thank you for that. We are sorry for the ways that we resist. Help us to want what you want for us. Help us to want to be patient, to want to be kind, to want to be obedient. Conform our will, Lord, In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We are currently doing a deep dive into the books of Genesis and Exodus. Today, our reading is Genesis 12.

In today's reading, we have the call of Abram. The first eleven chapters of Genesis were a broad sweeping narrative. God is beginning to reveal himself to a specific group of people and it all begins here. God commands Abram to leave his native land, and his father's home, to go to a land God would show him. God is asking him, as age 75, to leave the old and go to something totally new and different. If Abram does what God asks, God promises to give him wealth and many descendants. He will be blessed.

What's most interesting to me is that Abram does it. We aren't privy to any of the behind the scenes discussion. Did Abram think about saying no? I mean, the man was 75. He was pretty established. We don't know if he deliberated. Regardless, he says yes. He obeys. Interestingly, if you look at the Hebrew, the call to go was really just to Abram as an individual. It didn't include wife and family. But Abram brings Sarai and his nephew, Lot. They bring their whole household. I can only imagine the conversation between Sarai and Abram. She also would have to battle fear and uncertainly.

There are a number of call stories in the Bible. It usually involves God calling an individual person, followed by some kind of commission or promise. When God calls a person, there usually isn't a lot of attention to the impact on their families, such as in this situation. Yet, a call by God will impact not only the person called but everyone around them.

I can remember when God called me to full-time ministry. It was a very clear call (a story for another time) and it couldn't have happened in a more complicated season of my life. I had three young kids, Richard worked a stressful job, and money was tight. I couldn't imagine going back to school. And yet, the call was real. Would I say yes or no? In my case, I felt like there was only one answer. I had to obey.

Have you ever felt God call you to do something? God doesn't call all of us to full-time ministry but he does call all of us. God may be calling you to a particular kind of service in the church or in the community. He may be calling you to give of your resources. He might be calling you to reconcile a relationship. Take some time today and pray about God's call on your life.

Now, I wish I could stop there today but there is no way I can finish the devotional without mentioning Abram and Sarai in Egypt. They traveled there due to a famine. Once there, Abram passes Sarai off as his sister rather than his wife and she is taken into the palace. He feared that otherwise Pharoah would kill him to take Sarai, who must have been quite stunning. Almost immediately, God intervenes in the situation with plagues. If God had not intervened, Pharoah would not have known that Sarai was Abram's wife and Abram would not have had a son by Sarai in fulfillment of God's promise to him. Let's be real - Abram was absolutely in the wrong here, but God graciously intervened in order to keep his covenant with Abram. God plans to use Abram, despite his mess-ups!

One of the more comforting things about reading these texts is realizing just how much these heroes of the faith messed up. They were far from perfect and God uses them anyway. That bodes well for us.

Now, it's time for our going deeper discussion with Emmy...

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

August 20, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 11

Prayer: Dear Holy God, Your love is amazing. Thank you for the way you care for us. In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us focus on you...Lord Jesus, help us set aside every distraction and take this time to lean on you. We want to hear your voice. Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We are currently doing a deep dive into the books of Genesis and Exodus. Today, our reading is Genesis 11.

This is the Tower of Babel passage. About a century after Noah, there were people who decided to make a name for themselves by building a high tower, higher and more powerful than any other building ever created, so high it would reach the heavens. This was a tower of pride and arrogance. They thought that by creating this tower, they could be strong and unified as a people, and it would keep them from having to multiply and spread throughout the earth. God had told them to be fruitful and multiply. They wanted to be strong and remain planted in one place, solidifying their power. They wanted to grow in greatness and fame.

So God intervenes. In keeping with his promise, God doesn't send a flood or another terrible calamity. He intervenes by making it so they can't communicate with one another. You can't be strong and unified if you can't understand each other. And so they were scattered all over the earth.

Here is where we begin to see an interesting shift. God is no longer going to seek a relationship with all the world's nations. Rather, this is when he begins to seek a relationship with one nation. He would enter into covenant with a new people that did not yet exist – Israel.

The rest of the chapter is more genealogy. We see how the focus is moving from the scattered nations to one specific bloodline. God's promises will still be fulfilled but in a slightly different way through a different group of people.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

August 19, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 10

Prayer: Almighty God, As we move into a new day, we pray that today will be a day that we see glimpses of your glory. We need you, we yearn for you. Lord, help us set aside our distractions and settle our scattered thoughts so we can focus on you and you alone. In the next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers... In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis, which will be followed by a deep dive into Exodus. I think you have already realized there is a lot of substance in these chapters! Today, our reading is Genesis 10.

Let's start out by stating that this isn't the most interesting chapter. It's the list of the clans of Noah's sons. But if we look a little closer, we realize there is much to learn in this chapter.

In the previous chapter, we learned about Ham and his curse. His sons are listed here is verse 6. They are Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. You probably immediately notice Egypt and Canaan, and we notice that for generations, they were the enemies of God's people. But there is more. In verse 8, we read that Ham's son, Cush, is the father of Nimrod. Nimrod was a tremendous warrior and his kingdom was centered in Babylon (who eventually conquered the Southern Kingdom of Judah) and Shinar, where the tower of Babel was built (we will read about that tomorrow). Nimrod's territory also extends into Assyria (who conquered the Northern Kingdom) and he builds the famous city of Ninevah.

In verse 13, we read that Ham's son, Egypt, is the father of the Kasluhites. That is the group from which the Philistines were descended. In verse 14, we read that Ham's son, Canaan is the father of Sidon. From Sidon came the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, and Hivites – all of whom were removed from the Promised Land by Joshua and the Hebrew army.

It is fascinating to see how many of the cities, nations, and tribes, descended from Ham, become outright enemies of God's people. That curse was real, my friends.

I know that genealogies can be boring, but they are included for a reason. If we look deeper, what we realize is that these genealogies can unlock so much of the Old Testament. Often, they even pave the way for the New Testament, and explain nuances that we just don't get unless we look beneath the surface.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

August 18, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 9:18-28

Prayer: Holy God, We come before you today in humility and awe. You are a good God. You, who put the stars and planets in motion, also created us. You care about the most minute details of our lives. You have numbered the hairs on our head. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for caring so much. Help us be put even a small reflection of your love toward those around us. More of you and less of me, Jesus. Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis, which will be followed by a deep dive into Exodus. I think you have already realized there is a lot of substance in these chapters! Today, our reading is the second half of Genesis 9.

Although the judgment of the flood changed the earth, it did not change the heart of humans, which is still inherently sinful. Today's reading is strange. Most of you probably noticed that. But I don't think the point of the story is Noah's drunkenness. Rather, the point is that even though we have this beautiful renewed earth and humans are given a second chance, sin is still rearing its ugly head.

Let's go deeper. The Scripture says that Noah, as the new Adam, is a man of the ground, which means he was a farmer. He plants a vineyard and gets drunk on his wine. Here is where things get odd. In his drunken state, Noah is naked in his tent. Thus, his nakedness was seen by his three sons. Most of us would say, well who cares? Not that big a deal. But there is more here than we can see on the surface. What does it mean that the three sons "saw Noah's nakedness?"

There are different theories. One is simply that Ham saw his dad naked and didn't do anything to cover him up. He then shared this bit of gossip with his brothers. That is the most straightforward, but it seems a little extreme that his father would then curse him and his sons forever.

More scholars tend to think that some kind of sexual sin occurred here. Some think that Ham sexually assaulted his father and others think he assaulted his mother, who was most likely laying next to Noah. Regardless, it was bad and then he went and told his brothers.

His brothers had more wisdom. In contrast to Ham, Shem and Japheth went to great trouble to cover up their father and not look at his naked body. They actually walk backwards so they don't have to see his exposed parts. And they end up being blessed for this.

And Ham ends up being cursed. Actually, its his son, Canaan, who really gets the curse. This is a painful lesson. When we sin, we make the assumption that we are going to bear the consequences of that sin. But with so many things, it isn't just the sinner who bears the sin, it's their offspring and future generations. The sin of Ham results in the Canaanites being cursed – they become horribly perverse in the next few hundred years. In fact, the Canaanites are often held up as an example of how we are not supposed to be. The whole Canaanite culture was shaped by Ham's sin.

It isn't until Jesus that we see this begin to change. I think of the Canaanite woman who begs Jesus to heal her daughter who is suffering. It's an odd exchange in the Scripture (look up Matthew 15 or Mark 7), and she and Jesus have dialogue about how even the dogs get to eat their owners' scraps. In the end, Jesus is amazed by both her wit and her faith. Her daughter is healed. And Jesus shows us that his mercy and love now extend even to the Canaanites.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

August 17, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 9:1-17

Prayer: Dear Holy God, Your love is amazing. Thank you for the way you care for us. In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us focus on you...Lord Jesus, help us set aside every distraction and take this time to lean on you. We want to hear your voice. Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We are currently deep-diving into the book of Genesis. Today's reading is the first half of Genesis 9.

It's in this part of chapter 9 that God reestablishes his relationship with fallen humanity with a covenant, a binding agreement, a promise of sorts. Let's go back to today's scripture, Let's look at the exact wording, "I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, and with all the animals that were on the boat with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals—every living creature on earth. Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth." And God says that the rainbow in the sky will be a sign of this covenant that God will never, ever again choose destruction as a means to deal with the evil and sin of humanity.

What's interesting to me here is it almost appears that God regrets what he did. Maybe regret isn't the right word. God struggles with what had to happen. I think on some level, we get a picture of the tension between God's sense of justice and God's sense of love and mercy. God saw the hearts of human beings and was grieved by the evil that was present there. I think God is still grieved by the evil that is present in people ---this certainly has not gone away. We see sin and evil all over the world, in how people seem to have this capacity to demonstrate appalling cruelty toward other human beings. This has been a reality for centuries and centuries and it's a reality today. And it still grieves the heart of God.

But what we see in the covenant with Noah is that God, knowing that humans aren't going to change, will change how he deals with us. God commits to find another way to redeem his creation --- no more worldwide floods or total calamity. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.

So what will God do instead? God still takes evil seriously but God will deal with evil differently. Really, all the stories that follow this one show how God lives out his faithfulness in different ways, eventually culminating in the coming of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. God judges but God also redeems, over and over and over again.

Evil will be dealt with, but it will be dealt with in a different way, one in which all people can be redeemed and reconciled to a holy God who loves them and wants to be in relationship with.

Some more thoughts on this:

1. We continue to be in God's care. This is a covenant for all time - it isn't cancelled out by subsequent covenants. The rainbow is God's cupped hand over the earth reminding us of his care and concern for the whole world. Wherever you are, whoever you are, you depend on God and on the earth, which is his gift to us. You may not think you do, but all we have is from God. We are in his care.

2. God is in covenant with all living creatures. All the creatures all over the face of this earth belong to God first. They exist for God and not simply for us. God has concern for all of earth's creatures. Psalm 104:24, How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. The world isn't just about us. God loves all the creatures, God loves all of creation, not just humanity. And thus, we should see to the welfare of the wider world in which we find ourselves. We are stewards of God's creation. How we treat it matters. How we treat what God loves matters.

3. This is the beginning of God's plan of salvation and redemption. God's will is the renewal of all creation, the whole earth. Saving individual human beings is part of God's mission but God's desire is to redeem all people and all of creation. The amazing and totally humbling thing is that he calls us to help him achieve this mission, to put things right. And we as the church, we are the primary vehicle for which God calls us to put things right. In light of the story of Noah and God's ever-lasting covenant with his creation, how might he be calling us to put things right?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

August 14, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 8

Prayer: Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, That my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, That my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, That I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, To defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, That I always may be holy. Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We are currently deep-diving into the book of Genesis. Today's reading is Genesis 8.

Can you imagine what life was like on that ark? That was a long time to be hanging out just with family and a LOT of animals! I have all kinds of logistical questions but I will save those for another day.

I think one of the best lines of this whole chapter is in verse 1, But God remembered Noah... God remembered Noah, his family, and all those animals. God remembered that ark floating over the floodwaters. God remembered Noah when the waters kept rising. God was always with Noah. We certainly don't have any indication that Noah did anything but trust God. We don't have any Scripture that indicates that Noah, after a few weeks, started panicking that God had left him on that ark to die with a bunch of stinky animals. Not at all. God remembered Noah.

God remembered Noah so he sent a wind to cause the floodwaters to recede. The word wind here is actually the Hebrew word, ruach, which is generally translated as Spirit. You guys, this was the Holy Spirit! It was the Holy Spirit that caused the flood waters to recede so that Noah and the animals could find dry land. The Holy Spirit saw the need and took care of things.

Our God doesn't forget. I want you to be assured that God remembers you too. Whatever "flood" or hardship you might be going through, please know that God remembers you too. Call upon the Holy Spirit to meet you at your point of need and he will.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki